• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Gravity Rush/Silent Hill/Siren veterans led by Keiichiro Toyama quit Sony to form Bokeh Studio

Abriael_GN

Abriael_GN

RSI Employee of the Year


For now we have Keiichiro Toyama, Kazunobu Sato, Junya Okura (other titles include The Last Guardian and Puppeteer), but they say others who worked with them in the past are joining. I think the lady in the video is one of The Last Guardian's artists.

Considering how Sony mishandled Gravity Rush and basically sidelined Japan Studio, I'd say it was about time. Can't wait to see what they create. They say they'll make games for consoles and PC, since they're among the most creative minds I knew of at Japan Studio, and their games are criminally underrated.
 
Last edited:
THEAP99

THEAP99

Banned
Clearly if gamers supported their projects as much as they claim to do on social media, they maybe would have not left.

Good they left. They clearly don't have it in them anymore.

That being said, it truly does seem like Sony are neglecting Japan and this will bite them in the ass eventually considering how much microsoft are sniffing around. In fact I bet microsoft will acquire Bokeh.
 
Last edited:
Abriael_GN

Abriael_GN

RSI Employee of the Year
THEAP99 said:
It sold like crap, it was niche. And it didn't set the world on fire critically either. There was never gonna be a third one. And you shouldn't expect AAA marketing for an AA game.
Click to expand...

Games tend not to sell if they get no marketing. That's how it works. You market them, and THEN they sell. Not the other way around. It didn't even get indie-level marketing (compared to many indies that were being pushed by Sony at that time), let alone AA.
 
Last edited:
Barakov

Barakov

Gold Member
Shame to hear about it but not surprised with the direction Sony is going. I'm good with the two Gravity Rush games we got. I'd love a third but not under the current Sony. I'd rather GR not get a third game if it's poorly made.

SlimeGooGoo said:
Wait, does that mean Gravity Rush is dead? Siren too?
Click to expand...
Most likely given Sony's current focus.
 
J

JonkyDonk

Member
I had some fun with Gravity Rush, but the concept was thin and the sequel didn't do enough new. While I do want Sony to invest more in Japanese games, I wont necessarily miss this series.
 
Abriael_GN

Abriael_GN

RSI Employee of the Year
THEAP99 said:
And yet ASTRO'S playroom is better and more recognized than any other Japan Studio game in recent memory, there you go.
Click to expand...

"Better" is your opinion (and it's an utterly silly one that shows that you likely haven't played any of their games or you just have terrible taste in games). More recognized is easy, since it received actual marketing.
 
Last edited:
THEAP99

THEAP99

Banned
Abriael_GN said:
"Better" is your opinion (and it's an utterly silly one that shows that you likely haven't played any of their games or you just have terrible taste in games). More recognized is easy, since it received actual marketing.
Click to expand...
Astro's Playroom wins. It is what it is. They had not one, but two chances to break out of the mold. Didn't happen. Hopefully, their next ventures are better at Bokeh but I hope Microsoft doesn't buy them, or else that would be embarrassing for sony.

38d77bbf9f0d92023f917536d73d4d43.png
1a76c739979f3137391c2776cfe96964.png
 
THEAP99

THEAP99

Banned
ElCasual said:
So this KILL the rumor of the rebot/remake of Silent Hill.
Well at least we can be in peace.
Click to expand...
I thought Kojima was the one making it? Whatever. Sony don't give AF about horror games it seems. Our best chance at getting a horror playstation exclusive is if naughty dog or santa monica make a space operah horror game
 
Abriael_GN

Abriael_GN

RSI Employee of the Year
THEAP99 said:
Astro's Playroom wins. It is what it is. They had not one, but two chances to break out of the mold. Didn't happen. Hopefully, their next ventures are better at Bokeh but I hope Microsoft doesn't buy them, or else that would be embarrassing for sony.

38d77bbf9f0d92023f917536d73d4d43.png
1a76c739979f3137391c2776cfe96964.png
Click to expand...

One must be twelve to make it a competition.

It's almost like marketing has no effect on scores lol. Can't be an adult and that naive at the same time. 😂
 
Last edited:
[Sigma]

[Sigma]

Member
Jim Ryan. Some how this is his fault lol. Seriously tho, Sony didn't put the same energy into their games marketing wise. That always bothered me, they would make a trailer and then do shit like a blog post on the day of the release smh. I don't blame him for leaving.
 
THEAP99

THEAP99

Banned
Abriael_GN said:
One must be twelve to make it a competition.

It's almost like marketing has no effect on scores lol. Can't be an adult and that naive at the same time. 😂
Click to expand...
imagine being an adult and commissioning this though for wide consumption. certainly, would not be jim ryan

450


do u not see how this would taint the playstation portfolio if these flops kept being produced? come on. they left for a reason and will now make a real game maybe with plenty of "marketing"
 
Last edited:
Knitted Knight

Knitted Knight

Banned
Japan Studios have been mismanaged for quite a long time now (has nothing to do with Jim/new management). Literally had to bring westerners to handle that aspect to try to sort the messes out. These shakeups and departures are really for the better long term.

Can't put out big AAA franchises for a whole gen. Rayspace literally being in development hell.

Polyphony was in limbo as well for a long time until GTSport - and I've been a proponent of a massive shakeup there too.
 
Last edited:
Abriael_GN

Abriael_GN

RSI Employee of the Year
THEAP99 said:
imagine being an adult and commissioning this though for wide consumption. certainly, would not be jim ryan

450


do u not see how this would taint the playstation portfolio if these flops kept being produced? come on. they left for a reason and will now make a real game maybe with plenty of "marketing"
Click to expand...

Not sure what you're talking about because you're not even capable to embed images, but I'm quite sure "taints" to the PlayStation portfolio don't come from anywhere close to Toyama & C.

THEAP99 said:
Shu is happy

Click to expand...



Yeah. He's been sidelined as well. I'm positive he's happy for them.
 
Last edited:
Bkdk

Bkdk

Member
Hopefully they will make a siren inspired game for all platforms so I can play it on the PC.
 
Mr Hyde

Mr Hyde

Member
Looks like top quality talent. A darn shame Sony aren't investing more in these guys but I guess they had one to many flops under their belt.

Puppeteer, Siren Blood Curse, Gravity Rush 1 & 2, TLG, all of them commercial failures, despite being well received by critics and fans. Before PS4 Sony didn't give a fuck about their games failing sales wise as long as the game was a critical hit, they loved the quirky and innovative stuff from their Japanese creatives, but today it's about them big dollars and multi million seller. Unfortunately some of these creators don't fit that mold.

I wish them all the best in their future endeavors.
 
longdi

longdi

Banned
Seems there is growing truth in the Bloomberg report about SCE sidelining SCEJ
More Sony guys jumping off the train, it has been rotating chairs under Jim.
The guy seems ruthless in moving average performing games out? Blockbusters only? 🤷‍♀️
 
Last edited:
THEAP99

THEAP99

Banned
longdi said:
Seems there is growing truth in the Bloomberg report about SCE sidelining SCEJ
Another Sony developer jumping off the train, it has been rotating chairs under Jim. The guy seems ruthless in moving average performing games out? Blockbusters only? 🤷‍♀️
Click to expand...
Yes exactly. I love these AAA blockbusters as much as the next guy but at some point something will give. Fatigue will set in. Sony need to diversify the portfolio and give it more balance. Shawn Leyden before he left said Sony wanted fewer gamers, more bigger AAA, but AAA game development is unsustainable.
 
sublimit

sublimit

Banned
Abriael_GN said:


I think the lady in the video is one of The Last Guardian's artists.
Click to expand...

That's Miki Takahashi. She was the concept artist for the Siren games. She didn't worked on the Last Guardian as far as i know.
mikitakahashi.com

Miki Takahashi

髙橋美貴　mikitakahashi ART /Tokyo
mikitakahashi.com mikitakahashi.com

Abriael_GN said:
Considering how Sony mishandled Gravity Rush and basically sidelined Japan Studio, I'd say it was about time. Can't wait to see what they create. They say they'll make games for consoles and PC, since they're among the most creative minds I knew of at Japan Studio, and their games are criminally underrated.
Click to expand...
How did Sony "mishandled" Gravity Rush? They greenlighted a very niche and unique game in the first place and even though it sold poorly they gave it another chance and remastered it for PS4 and also greenlighted a sequel with an even bigger budget than the original. Any other company would have never given Toyama another chance.

Good luck to them,i'm looking forward what they will create in the future. Well at least now we know he's not working on a Silent Hill Remake/Reboot.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Bokeh Studio says Slitterhead will be shown in 2024!
News
19
1K
Heimdall_Xtreme replied
Sony spent a decade trying to save Japan Studio
2 3 4 5
208
14K
Celine replied
Silent Hill and Siren devs on their return to horror
1
937
Aion002 replied
Focus - Keiichiro Toyama
16
2K
D.Final replied
Gravity Rush 10th Anniversary
2
55
4K
K' Dash replied
Top Bottom